Notebook: OregonNotebook: Oregon
John P. Lozano/Stanford Athletic
Football

Notebook: Oregon

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STANFORD, Calif. – Stanford returns to the national spotlight on Saturday, when the seventh-ranked Cardinal (3-0, 1-0 Pac-12) squares off at No. 20 Oregon (3-0, 0-0) in Eugene.
 
Many questions will be answered in the 5 p.m. nationally-televised game on ABC, which attracted the ESPN College GameDay crew.
 
• Can the Cardinal, ranked first in the country in scoring defense, allowing 7.7 points/game, slow down the Justin Herbert-led Ducks, who average a Pac-12 high 51.7 points/game?
 
• With senior Bryce Love back, can Stanford get untracked offensively against the top-ranked run defense in the conference, which yields 1.7 yards/attempt?
 
• Are the Ducks for real? All three wins have come at home against opponents that are a combined 2-7.
 
• Can the Cardinal maintain composure and execute at Autzen Stadium, one of toughest and noisiest venues in the Pac-12?
 
• Is Stanford worthy of its lofty ranking, its highest since 2016?

 
Point one: The Cardinal defense has exceeded most expectations, surrendering two touchdowns in three games. The second was a fluke, with UC Davis scoring on a tipped pass on the last play of the game. Herbert, a 6-6 junior and top pro prospect, has thrown 12 touchdown passes and been intercepted just four times.
 
"He's the guy who makes it go," said David Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director of Football on Tuesday. "He can throw it on a dime 50 yards."

Herbert has a quick release, uses his size to see and throw over defenders, and is effective scrambling.
 
Using an up-tempo, spread offense, the Ducks seldom huddle, strike quickly and average 76 plays/game. They are capable of many more.
 
"They go fast," said Stanford fifth-year senior outside linebacker and Oregon native Joey Alfieri. "The biggest thing is communicating. If we don't, we could get gashed pretty easily."
 
Alfieri believes the offensive line could be the biggest he's faced this season.
 
Point two: The Cardinal has averaged 26.0 points/game, seventh in the Pac-12. Love missed the UC Davis game, but needs operating room from his offensive line, which got a lift last week with the return of fifth-year senior starting center Jesse Burkett.
 
"He stabilizes the troops," Shaw said of the latter.
 
In two of the first three games, defenses have stacked the line of scrimmage to stymie Love and dared Stanford to throw. Junior quarterback K.J. Costello made San Diego State pay, but Shaw prefers power football.
 
"There's no secret we're going to run the ball and try to take advantage of what we can," he said.
 
Point three: Oregon's victories have come against Bowling Green, Portland State and San Jose State. But the Ducks are talented, athletic, physical and formidable on home turf.
 


Point four: Stanford has won two straight against Oregon and two of the last four in Eugene. The crowd can make it difficult for visiting quarterbacks to be heard, putting a premium on poise and execution.
 
"I've been to games at Autzen where it's high intensity," said senior running back Cameron Scarlett, who grew up in Portland. "I know what it's going to be like and I'm excited to play in a big game like this."
 
Alfieri and Scarlett had memorable homecomings in 2016 during a 52-27 Cardinal win. Alfieri intercepted two passes and Scarlett scored his first college touchdown while gaining a career-high 68 yards. Both have provided advice to younger teammates about to expect on Saturday.
 
"There's only so much you can say to prepare them," Alfieri said. "You just have to be in there to feel the noise and intensity of the crowd. We blast music in practice to try and get that drowned out noise. It'll be a test for sure to see how these young guys play in a hostile environment."
 
Point five: Oregon will provide a good barometer. Shaw stresses going 1-0 each week, so it is unlikely players will be looking ahead to next week's game at No. 8 Notre Dame.
 
"We really make that an emphasis each and every game," Scarlett said. "The next game isn't going to matter if we don't focus on this one. You can't overlook anybody with the tough schedule we have."
 
In 10 of the last 12 meetings, Stanford and Oregon have been ranked. Since 2011, the winner has gone on five times to capture the Pac-12 North title.
 
The last time the Cardinal resided in the top 10 heading to Oregon was in 2011, when Stanford was No. 3 and the Ducks No. 6.
 
Early impact: Freshmen defensive end Thomas Booker and wide receiver Michael Wilson have been early-season contributors. Last Saturday, defensive end Andres Fox, offensive tackle Grant Pease, quarterback Jack West and running back Justus Woods saw game action against the Aggies.
 
Digging in: The youthful defensive front has held its own and faces another big challenge. 
 
"It's a clean slate every week," said defensive line coach Diron Reynolds. "It's a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately business. I think our guys are starting to understand that, especially the younger guys. I'm just trying to keep them focused on their techniques and the things matter in the game, not stats."
 
Reynolds has been impressed with their energy and focus.
 
"It's not going to be pretty every time you turn on the tape or the way you draw it up," he said. "It's a team effort in the room."
 
Reynolds said junior tackle Michael Williams and senior end Dylan Jackson have emerged as leaders.
 
"Those guys have kind of taken the bull by the horns," said Reynolds. "You can see it in their play. Jovan Swann (junior end) is not far behind."
 
Assessing Herbert: Containing Herbert is a big key.
 
"He's a beast," Reynolds said. "We're going to do our best to corral him. He's fast. Once he gets on that edge, he'll make you look bad. It's going to be a great challenge."
 
The Cardinal will try to make him uncomfortable.
 
"Lance (Anderson) does a great job scheming and we put our heads together every week," said Reynolds of the Willie Shaw Director of Defense. "We always like to disrupt quarterbacks. That's what it's all about. If you can change that guy you can change the game."
 
Active secondary: Through three games, Stanford has recorded 24 pass breakups. Last year, the team posted 38 in 14 games.
 
Sophomore cornerback Paul Adebo has a team-high seven pass breakups. In 2017, Quenton Meeks led the Cardinal with eight on the season.
 

 
Stepping up: Junior Jordan Fox and sophomore Gabe Reid have played well in backup roles at outside linebacker.
 
"We've got a lot of good, young guys that have shown a lot of ability," said Alfieri. "Each game, they have improved a lot."
 
Under center: Burkett returned to the lineup for the first time since the Alamo Bowl last December.
 
"If anything, I was overly excited," Burkett said. "It was great to be back out there with the guys after so long. I've got some things to clean up but it's great to be playing football again."
 
Burkett is confident the running game will jell.

"We're always pursuing perfection," said Burkett. "We want to be dominant and we haven't really shown that yet."
 
Crowd simulation: Jet noise was played through speakers at practice on Tuesday.
 
"Everybody got used to it and the guys did well," Shaw said.
 
Fun fact: Senior inside linebacker has football in his genes. His cousins, Deion Branch and Cliff Branch, played wide receiver in the NFL for New England and Oakland, respectively.
 
McCaffrey returns: On Nov. 10, Stanford plays host to Oregon State. The first 10,000 fans who enter with valid tickets will receive Christian McCaffrey bobbleheads to commemorate his outstanding career.
 
Now a force with the Carolina Panthers, McCaffrey amassed 3,864 yards in 2015, breaking Barry Sanders' NCAA single-season record for all-purpose yards set in 1988. McCaffrey established a single-season school record by rushing for 1,847 yards and won the AP Player of the Year Award, the Paul Hornung Award as the most versatile player in college football and was runner-up in the Heisman Trophy balloting.
 

 
Extra points: This marks the 11th time Stanford has been featured on ESPN College GameDay … The forecast in Eugene calls for a chance of morning rain, giving way to afternoon sunshine. The game-time temperature is expected to be 70 degrees …Senior JJ Arcega-Whiteside ranks third nationally with five receiving touchdowns and 14th in yards per game with 108 … Senior wide receiver Trenton Irwin has at least one reception in 31 consecutive games … Fifth-year senior inside linebacker Bobby Okereke has recorded five or more tackles in 14 of the last 16 games … Fall quarter classes begin Monday.

Quotable: "You don't have to be a hero every play. You just need to do your job." - Joey Alfieri